The British Ski Center is a unique English founded ski school offering you over 30 years of professional experience and fun ski & snowboard tuition with native English instructors guaranteeing you maximum progression whether this is your first time on the snow or if you are looking at pushing yourself further to more advanced techniques.
All our instructors are qualified, contracted by law and highly motivated to teach you the thrills and excitement of skiing and/or snowboarding. Whilst it is possible to find “English speaking” instructors through the other schools, usually their knowledge is limited to technical vocabulary rather than competent explanatory conversation. Strong levels of general conversation are essential for teaching anything in order to build up client/instructor relations and offer high-quality tuition, particularly when YOU require detailed explanations relating to the techniques being taught. This is where we always come out on top!
Ski Lessons and Prices
Please click/tap on one of the headings below to get details of our rates* then book with us. We look forward to seeing you on the snow!
Our rates for the coming 2023-24 ski season are:
Personal Tuition
The best way to learn “quickly” and safely is to focus as much individual attention to you as possible. Our Personal Tuition sessions cater for this with up to a maximum of 5 people in any one class*. The instructor is reserved for you, and you alone! No-one else will be added to your class as would be the case with “ski school” and other group lessons. If you book 3 people into a class, there will just be the 3 of you with our instructor.
We highly recommend that younger children and adults are taught separately due to fundamental differences in teaching technique. Where larger age gaps are present, the different members of the class can progress at quite different levels resulting in those advancing quicker, not being able to advance further until the rest of the class are up to their standard. Younger children often require much more personal attention and care and can become especially distracted by having close family members with them. This reduces the amount of time the instructor can spend focussing on other members of the lesson.
Standard time slots allocated for Personal Tuition sessions run for 2 hours.
*It is important to note that the standard of skiing must be roughly equal among the group members, if not, the more advanced skiers will not benefit so much from the class.
During the two February half-term weeks, all our instructors are automatically reserved for the ski school groups between 11am and 2pm. For anyone requiring Personal Tuition for either of these particular weeks, we will be running to the following alternative timetable and tariff structure (during the intermittent weekends, our schedule remains as usual with 2-hour sessions available):
We offer “ski school” during specific weeks (subject to numbers) as a fun, social and educative means to learning this great sport. For the 2023-24 winter season, we are looking to run ski school groups during the following periods:
February 2024: Monday 12th – Friday 16th andMonday 19th – Friday 23rd April 2024: Monday 1st – Friday 5th
Ski School price: 151.50€/person
Ski School offers tuition in groups of 6-10 people per instructor. It runs for 3 hours/day, Monday to Friday from 11am to 2pm.
These groups are based on a minimum of 6 people of a similar standard. You must start on the Monday and are obliged to commit to the full 5 days’ tuition even if you are only able to do 2, 3 or 4 days. We do not allow starters to commence later than the Monday as this causes disruptions for the other group members who have effectively received a head start in their tuition.
During particularly busy periods (like February half term week) we are obliged to outsource instructors from other ski schools as well as freelance instructors in order to cater for the demand. This means that not all instructors will be native English speakers. They will, however, have been “vetted” by us and considered to have a higher-than-average level of spoken English, in addition to a friendly and professional attitude. Please refer to point No.7 of our booking terms and conditions for more information.
Please note that these options are NOT available during February Half Term.
These sessions are aimed especially at families with children, or groups of friends/family wishing to be together in a class irrespective of differences in ski levels and/or ages. Where ski levels vary, the longer session allows flexibility for the instructor to spend productive time with each member according to their standards and needs*. For example: Parents head off for a ski to allow the instructor to focus on the youngest child to get them going. After a period, the child may get tired and need a break. In the meantime, a parent joins the instructor for a while before switching with the other parent. After a rest, the child joins in all together with the parents to show off their improving skills etc.
Half Day
4 hours with personal instructor. Maximum 8 people per group. NOT AVAILABLE DURING THE FEBRUARY HALF TERM WEEKS
242.00€
Full Day
7 hours with personal instructor. 45 minutes allocated for lunch break in between. Maximum 8 people per group. NOT AVAILABLE DURING THE FEBRUARY HALF TERM WEEKS
Supervised child breaks for refreshment, lunch and rest periods whilst the parents go for a “free-ski”
Guided tour of the pistes; professional photo shoots
Basic freestyle techniques
The focus is on combining tuition with building on “ski time” in line with part of our core philosophy whereby: “The essential way to improve one’s skiing is to ski!”. The instructor is reserved solely for your party.
There is a limit of 8 people per group who may take part in these sessions and our general terms and conditions apply regarding instructing different levels of skier/boarder and the combining of adults with young children which must be considered beforehand to ensure maximum all-round benefit.
Lift passes, equipment and food and drink costs are not included. Breaks are taken at YOUR discretion. If the Instructor deems it necessary to break for health/safety reasons, he/she will make the recommendation to YOU explaining fully the reason. Full day sessions will include a minimum 45-minute stop for lunch.
GCSE / A-Level Evaluations
GCSE / A-Level Ski Evaluations
Given an increase in the number of students opting for “Skiing” as a selected activity for their PE GCSE and/or A-Level subject, the British Ski Center offers you the opportunity to carry out the necessary evaluations. We allocate a 4-hour slot divided into two practical parts:
1. The first 2 hours are allocated to evaluate the student’s actual level, consider all the tests to be completed and provide the necessary training to bring the student up to standard for their final assessment later in the session. 2. The second part of the session is allocated for the student to undertake the tests.
The instructor will take photos and video footage using their phone although as an option, we can also employ a professional photographer to take the shots and video footage for you.
Image and video files will be latterly transferred to you via WeTransfer or similar. The instructor will then compile their report which will also be emailed to you.
Essential (4 hours piste time plus 1.5 hours administration)
4 hours training and evaluation. Image & video shoot according to requirements. Raw clips of unedited video footage and ski school validated report.
At the British Ski Center, we have instructors trained for a number of adaptive and special needs requirements. Please let us know the details of your specific needs at the time of booking to ensure the correct instructor is reserved for you.
Freestyle
Freestyle
Our experienced ski instructors can offer a range of freestyle training to develop your skills on and off the pisted terrain* including initiation to the Progression Park and Half Pipe. Much of this is focused on stance and positioning on the skis and hence piste work is also necessary. An advanced standard of skiing/boarding is required where both confidence and competence on all grade of slope is important in order to maximise the benefit out of the training.
Gift vouchers
Gift vouchers
Our ski/snowboard tuition gift vouchers are a great present for anyone who loves the snow.
We offer 3 different vouchers
1 hour of tuition on a private basis (i.e. with no-one else) with an instructor all to yourself.
2 hours of tuition on a private basis (i.e. with no-one else) with an instructor all to yourself.
15 hours of group ski school tuition valid only during the February half term weeks (to be confirmed by email upon request). These classes are divided into 5 sessions of 3 hours tuition spread over 5 days from Monday through until Friday.
Vouchers are valid for a full 12 months from the purchase date. They are not exchangeable for cash. They may be used in part exchange for alternative/additional tuition options that the British Ski Center may offer. Terms and conditions apply.
To get your vouchers, just email us with the following details:
Full name and contact details (mobile telephone, email) of the lead person to whom the voucher is to be given and who will be taking the tuition (ID may be requested to validate the voucher in exchange for the tuition).
Where more than one person is being offered the tuition, please also provide the other names for verification.
Voucher option required
Your full name, address, telephone contact, passport/NIE number which will be required for our invoicing purposes when charging you for the voucher(s).
Notes for first time skiers and snowboarders
If you are a first time skier or snowboarder PLEASE take tuition. Do NOT try to learn by yourself or with friends as this is the best way to end up with an injury and/or put you off what is an amazing pastime for good!
Whilst budget concerns are understandable, Skiing & Snowboarding are not cheap sports and there are plenty of obligatory costs involved to just get yourself on the slopes (lift passes, equipment hire, parking etc.) that you have to commit yourself to.
As such, it is a great shame when we observe people effectively waste these “obligatory” expenses by trying to cut costs on their ski lessons, or even not taking tuition. This only results in them learning very little or nothing at all on ski/snowboard technique resulting in their inability to take advantage of the slopes and lift system that they are paying to access in the first place! In addition they unwittingly become a safety risk to not only themselves but also to anyone else on the mountain through their lack of knowledge on how to control themselves correctly when descending a slope.
If you want to return home with a truly memorable “SKI” experience, invest in professional tuition and cut costs in other areas. You will not only learn to ski the correct way but also in the safest manner and before you realise it you will quickly find yourself capable of skiing away from the nursery slopes and onto the ski lifts. Once you get away from the nursery slopes and onto the green runs, the whole ski experience takes on a thrilling new level for you that completely justifies any expense incurred to get there!!
We recommend that you begin with a 2 hour private class per day over the course of at least 2-3 consecutive days, or 3-5 days in Group Tuition. You will initially spend time on flat terrain in the nursery area where you will get to grips with the basics of putting on and taking off your skis/board, sliding motions and basic speed control theory. Gradually you will move to a very gentle slope to practice the basics of controlling your speed leading ultimately to advancing on to longer slopes.
As a very rough guide you can expect the following from a private ski lesson:
1 Hour – to have essential understanding of controlling your speed down a gentle slope in a straight line in the nursery area.
2 Hours – you will have touched on the basics of turning from left to right and back again down a gentle slope. More confident learners may even get to try one of the nursery chairlifts.
3 Hours – you will have greater confidence in linking turns & speed control. You will most likely have some limited experience in using a chairlift to access some of the green runs away from the nursery area.
Ski & Snowboard Ability Guide
As a guide, we have categorised achieved standards into the following groups:
Ski
A0
No experience or maybe a basic initiation lesson on dry slope at most but with no real speed control
A1
Control of speed in a straight line, stopping using the snowplough on gentle nursery slopes. Can walk on skis and use the 'magic carpet' lift with assistance.
A2
Can turn in both directions in a snowplough on the 'magic carpet' runs (gentle nursery slopes). Competent use of the magic carpet lifts.
B1
Understands how to use a chairlift, can link snowplough turns on a beginner green run and can get up from a fall.
B2
Competent use of nursery chairlifts. Can link snowplough turns on most green slopes and use the shape of the turn to control speed. Knows basic rules of the mountain concerning stopping and overtaking. Can climb up a gentle slope on skis using herring bone or side stepping.
C1
Uses a mixture of snowplough and parallel (may stem turn, or may parallel on gentle sections and snowplough on steeper sections). Can traverse in Parallel.
C2
Competent stem turns on blue slopes. Self-awareness of rhythm, speed and turning circles. Uses a mixture of stem turns and parallel.
D1
Parallel turns on green and blue slopes. Can change rhythm and control speed using turn shape and skidding.
D2
Can vary turn radius according to terrain. Skis parallel on all slopes and can carve two clean tracks in the snow on a very gentle gradient slope in both directions.
E1
Skis 'grippy' turns. Understands and can vary edge control and pressure for different types of turn and terrain and can smoothly transition between them. Links carving turns on gentle terrain.
E2
Skis all terrain including off piste, moguls and blacks. Can adapt skiing to adjust for changes in speed and terrain while maintaining rhythm.
No experience or maybe a basic initiation lesson on dry slope at most but with no real speed control
A1
Can do a one-footed straight glide and J-turn on both edges.
B1
Can do a 'floating leaf' and 'garland' on both edges. Can stop safely on both edges and has attempted both C-turns.
B2
Can make linked C-turns both ways. Can get on and off a chairlift and ride green runs safely.
C
Can ride blues runs safely and can use the shape of turn to control speed.
D
Can link turns on red runs. Can vary the size and shape of turns. Can make a basic carved turn. Can ride 'switch' and attempt basic freestyle techniques.
E
Can ride black runs and off-piste. Can carve on blue and red runs. Comfortable riding switch and using freestyle techniques.
NEVER rely on friends or family to teach you unless they are qualified and experienced themselves (and even then it is not particularly recommended!). A high percentage of ski accidents, (not to mention arguments!), occur in these situations where basic safety procedures and techniques are taught incorrectly or not at all.
DO REMEMBER that Sierra Nevada is, perhaps surprisingly, one of the highest ski resorts in Europe. The altitude change can bring on “Altitude Sickness” including such symptoms as dehydration, nausea, dizziness, headaches, nose bleeds and weariness.
Very young children on their first skiing holiday should consider a single hour to begin with, to ensure they are enjoying themselves whilst acclimatising – PLEASE REMEMBER TO FEED THEM BEFORE THEIR CLASS!!
As Sierra Nevada becomes increasingly popular as an alternative ski destination with English-speaking visitors, demand is also increasing significantly for English speaking ski instructors. British Ski Center can guarantee you this in a way that no other ski school in the resort can!
